Graham and I don’t have the pleasure of sharing our house with a cat but during my research I came to realize they are just as fascinating as the canine.

Like the canine, the cat is a carnivore – put simply “an animal which eats flesh” however, unlike the canine – the cat is an obligate carnivore – put simply “Even though they may consume minute amounts of plant material from their prey, they require extremely high quantities of meat and they don’t have the ability to fully digest and utilize the nutrients in plant material”.

Another interesting fact about the feline is their need for taurine. Most mammals, including the dog are able to manufacture taurine from other amino acids. (building blocks of protein) The cat’s ability to synthesize taurine is extremely limited. In other words, cats have to get taurine from their food. As a result, it’s imperative that cats have a high daily intake of taurine to remain healthy.

Taurine is found in muscle meat and is most highly concentrated in the heart and liver.

Deficiency of taurine can cause the retina to slowly degenerate, causing irreversible blindness.

Taurine is also essential for cardiovascular function and the central nervous system.

Ah yes, the intricate workings of the fussy feline or the manipulative moggie.One thing we know for sure - the Feline is a “true”carnivore.

Did you know your cat can hear a broad range of frequencies, some sounds too faint for the human ear. They can see in the dark, are flexible, and have a much better sense of smell than us, which is why it is important to provide water in a ceramic or stainless steel bowl. Throw out those plastic containers!!

Cats have relatively few taste buds compared to humans.

They have movable whiskers to aid in navigation and sensation over their body and especially on their face, to help gauge objects in the dark and trigger blink receptors to protect their eyes.

A sad fact about the cat is their rapid breeding rate. The failure to control breeding by desexing has led to the abandonment and a growing number of feral cats worldwide.

Female cats may have many periods of heat over the course of a year with the season beginning in spring and ending in late autumn. Heat periods occur about every two weeks and last about 4 to 7 days and the gestation period is between 64–67 days.

The size of a litter on average is three to five kittens. Kittens are weaned at between six and seven weeks, and cats normally reach sexual maturity at 5–10 months (females) and to 5–7 months (males), this can vary depending on breed.

Females can have two to three litters per year, which over a 10 year period can amount to roughly 150 kittens.

The moral to this story is - please feed your cats what nature intended and desex to prevent unwanted, neglected and abandoned moggies and in return they will give you years of health, joy and happiness.